It is common to make structural members, such as struts, from steel and other metal alloys. Steel may be used in many strut applications, and may, for example, form the struts that connect aircraft wheels to an aircraft body.
Aircraft weight affects fuel efficiency and limits the mass of cargo and passengers that can be carried. It is therefore generally desirable to reduce the weight of aircraft components to increase fuel efficiency and/or load capacity of an aircraft. One method of reducing aircraft weight is to form various components from lighter weight materials. One material useful for some weight reduction applications comprises a composite resin that may be reinforced with carbon or other fibers. However, various factors, including strength requirements, appearance, and the conditions to which the components are subjected, limit the materials that can be used for certain applications. In some cases, substituting a composite material for a metallic element will require a change to the size, shape or construction of the element being replaced. It is generally not possible to reduce aircraft weight merely by replacing every metallic element in the aircraft with an identical composite member.
Aircraft landing gear struts are examples of metallic parts that cannot easily be replaced with composite elements. Struts formed from composites are known. However, the composites are generally weaker than steel, and to date their use has been limited to lightweight aircraft such as commuter aircraft. Composites are generally not considered sufficiently strong to support the greater masses of commercial and/or military aircraft and may not withstand the stresses absorbed by the landing gear when such aircraft land. Consequently, commercial and military aircraft continue to use steel or other metal or metal alloy struts. It would therefore be desirable to provide a strut that is lighter than steel and stronger than existing composite struts and that is suitable for use as an aircraft landing gear strut.